Church Members Mourn Loss of Historic Building
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A fire that ripped through downtown Jackson late Friday morning has left residents and downtown workers devastated. Flames consumed the former First Baptist Church building and even spread to nearby buildings, such as Wolfe Communications just a half a block away. Fire crews spent the day defending buildings such as the Greyhound Bus Station and the JPD Annex Building. Fire crew rushed to the downtown First Baptist church late Friday morning, but the flames were too much for the 100 year old building. “And I am terribly saddened by the whole thing..not to have been able to see it one more time,” said church member Jerry Powell. He said he and his wife always wanted to go back and visit the old church, but Friday proved their chance was gone. After hours of battling the blaze, not much was left of the historic church. “With the tall dome you could see it just about any place in Jackson, and it was just one of those landmarks,” said Powell. “We joined in and we were a member downtown for over a century before our church moved,” said longtime member Joe Exum. First Baptist church moved from its downtown home to its new location along North Highland in midtown in 1980. While Joe Exum and other church members will not be able to see the historical building in Jackson any more, they will always have their memories. “Well that was our life. We were active at the church at the time. Our children were baptized there at the church. Our daughter was married at the church. I was ordained as a deacon at the church. I was chairman of the deacons,” said Exum. Firefighters said hot work on the roof may have started the fire, but officials are still investigating.
